Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "ज़िंदगी" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce ज़िंदगी in Hindi?

ज़िंदगी is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /zɪn.d̪ə.ɡiː/. It means “life.” zin-duh-GEE — a nuqta z at the front, a dental nd cluster, and a long ee at the end.

zin-duh-GEE — a nuqta z at the front, a dental nd cluster, and a long ee at the end.

ज़िंदगी /zɪn.d̪ə.ɡiː/

zindagee

The nd cluster gives the opening syllable weight by position without lengthening its vowel, so the climb toward the long ending stays intact. Two light beats, then one heavy one.

Listen: ज़िंदगी

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Sound it out

zin ज़ with its nuqta buzzes like the z of "zoo," followed by a short इ and a nasal that takes its dental position from the following द.

da Dental द on the upper teeth with a bare schwa — the lightest syllable in the word.

gee Unaspirated ग with the voicing on from the start of the closure, opening into a long tense ई.

Hear it in a sentence

ज़िंदगी बहुत खूबसूरत है।

Zindagee bahut khoobsoorat hai.

Life is very beautiful.

Listen: ज़िंदगी बहुत खूबसूरत है।

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"Zindagee bahut khoobsoorat hai" pairs it with khoobsoorat, another Persian borrowing, which opens with an aspirated ख and contains a long oo. Both words carry Persian vocabulary layers, which is why the nuqta and the aspiration both matter here.

Where English speakers slip

Read ज़ as j and you get "jindagee"; let the nd cluster drift back to the alveolar ridge as in English "tinned" and the middle of the word goes with it. Push both the nasal and the stop forward onto the teeth, and keep the g free of breathiness or it becomes घ.